FIFA rejects Norway's cable complaint; Kasparov and Ibrahimović offer sarcastic critiques

FIFA has officially dismissed Norwegian appeals regarding a controversial moment during England's match against Norway, where a spider-camera cable was alleged to have influenced the ball's path leading to England's equalizer. The incident occurred when Jude Bellingham scored in first-half stoppage time.

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FIFA should make all camera cables out of Croatian hair.

Norwegian players protested vehemently, claiming the ball struck the cable after being cleared by their goalkeeper. They argued this contact altered the ball's trajectory, causing it to fall shorter than it otherwise would have. This led to Elliot Anderson initiating the attack that resulted in England's goal.

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The ball came to Elliot Anderson, who then started the action from which England equalized.

However, FIFA released footage and an explanation post-match, asserting that no irregularities occurred. The governing body cited data from the ball's internal chip, the same technology used to disallow Croatia's goal against Portugal in a previous round. According to FIFA, the ball's sensor detected no significant "heartbeat" spikes when it was in the air, thus providing no evidence of contact with the cable or any impact on its flight.

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FIFA stated that the sensor in the connected ball before England's goal in the 45th minute did not detect any peak in the so-called 'ball heartbeat' when it was in the air.

The decision has drawn sharp criticism and sarcastic commentary. Chess legend Garry Kasparov, a Croatian citizen, quipped on social media platform X, "FIFA should make all camera cables out of Croatian hair," referencing a previous decision where a player's hair allegedly triggered a sensor. Football analyst Zlatan Ibrahimović also weighed in, criticizing England's player Noni Madueke, suggesting the cable played better than Madueke did during the first half. Ibrahimović felt England was effectively playing with ten men until substitutions were made at halftime.

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If the ball really touched the cable, then that cable certainly played better than Madueke.